Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms



L S. HEATH. Breech-Leading Fire-Arms. N0 1-38 887. Patented May13,1873.

Fig-4- AM, pflora-muomrl lc co. Imfnsaomsls Pnacass) UNITED STATES JOHN SIDNEY HEATH, OF THOMAS STREET, OXFORD STREET, MIDDLESEX,

PATENT OFFICE.

COUNTY, ENGLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 138,887, dated May 13, 1873 application filed September 6, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN SIDNEY HEATH, of Thomas street, Oxford street, in the county of Middlesex, England, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Breech-Loading Fire-Arms, of which the following is a specification:

My improvements are exclusively applicable to breech-loading firearms, more especially those in which fixed ammunition is employed. The object of the invention is, principally, to prevent the premature or accidental discharge of fire-arms; and it consists in the provision of sliding bolts for lockin g the firingpins, the same being operated by a thumblever arranged to project through the gunstock.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a partly-sectional elevation of a double-barreled gun provided with myimprovements. Fig. 2 is atransverse section of Fig. 1 on the line a: m. Fig. 3 represents the lock mechanism in side view. Fig. 4 is an under-side view of a snap piece or tongue formed on the breech of the gunbarrel, and Fig. 5 is a plan View of the triggerplate.

A is the gun'stook; B, the barrel; 0, the breech-bed and D, the tail-piece. No. 1 represents a thumb piece or lever projecting up through a slot in the tail-piece, and acting on lever No. 2, which, in turn, acts on lever N o. 3. Both thelastnamed levers are pivoted in lugs formed on the under side of the tail-piece. Lever No. 3 is bent downward at its front end to form the pendent arm E, which acts on the short arms of the pivoted angle-levers f f, Fig. 2. These levers are acted on by springs g g, and their office is to draw the bolts f X f which are interposed between the levers g" g" and the rear wall of the stationary breechblock, thereby preventing the action of the firing-pins, except when the thumb-piece No. 1 is pressed down. h h are springs secured to the breech-block by screws, the upper ends of which fit in notches formed in the under side of the shorter arms of the aforesaid an glelevers, thus tending to keep the bolts f in the position indicated in Fig. 2. The look proper, shown in Fig. 3, is mainly such as has been heretofore used in guns or small-arms, M s being the mainspring; R r, the sear; S g, the sear-spring; N, the stationary bridge-piece or bridle. M is a tumbler, pivoted at W to the piece N, and connected with the spring M s by the link S. The tumbler M is curved and extended at its lower end in such a manner as to act on the lower end of the lever g when the gun is cooked, and thus cause the same to draw back the firing-pin.

From the foregoing it will be perceived that it is impossible to discharge the gun so long as the levers g are locked by the bolts f and these last can be drawn back or toward each other, so as to offer no obstacle to the movement of the levers g" and the firing-pins, by no other means than by pressing on the thumbpiece No. 1. This pressure can be applied by the right hand grasping the small or reduced middle portion of the breech-stock when the gun is being aimed or sighted.

The trigger-guard plate L has four short slots, L", through which'pass the two parts or tongues e e of the triggers, the front parts or tongues being pivoted to an inner projection, j, of the plate L, and the rear tongues serving to act on the sears when the gun is fired. The construction avoids forming long continuous slots in the guard-plates, as commonly practiced, the object being to exclude dust more or less. A lug, K, is formed on the under side of the breech end of the barrel, and a bolt, K", works transversely through a slot in said ing and through the breechbed.

A projection or lug, a, inclined or beveled on its outer side, comes in contact with the spring, of the bolt K*, which is thus held back until the barrel is closed, when the spring is released and throws the bolt forward, thus locking the barrel. The bolt is drawn out so as to release the barrel by means of a projecting. handle-piece.

My invention is equally applicable to singl and double barreled guns.

I. claim-- 1. The combination of a firing-pin, a lever,

9*,2i100lii11g-b01t, f*, and suitable mechanism cooperating springs S y and M s, as speciforoperating the same, as specified. fied.

2. The combination of the lever or thumb- J. S. HEATH. [L. 3.] piece No. 1, levers Nos. 2 and 3, and spring 00 Witnesses: with the firing-pin, rip-bolts, and the levers THOMAS MORGAN, g", as shown and described. 21 Oockspw street, London.

3. The combination, with the levers 9* and R. MARsDEN LATHAlVI,

firing-pins f of the tumblers M, a sear, and 21 Oockspzw street, London. 

